With all the talk of Big Data, there are still big questions as to how to most effectively leverage information and data to make a positive impact on healthcare delivery, cost, and outcomes. One health system leader thinks an approach developed by a Major League baseball team might be a game changer.

Health IT is in a state of constant evolution, and it often seems that, for every problem solved, another is created. That’s why it’s vital we stop to assess where the industry stands from time to time, as well as look to the future to determine the best course to take to achieve our collective goals.

CASE STUDIES & WHITE PAPERS

Modern medicine depends on computer technology. Even the most basic of procedures, a physical checkup, begins with a physician typing a patient’s medical history into a laptop. And the advances that improve health care and help extend life spans—MRI scanners, X-ray machines, blood analyzers, etc.—all run on technology. But who keeps the technology running?

The consumerization of mobile devices, also known as bring your own device (BYOD), is a major trend affecting healthcare. This involves healthcare workers using their personal mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets, to access applications that enable them to deliver care whenever and wherever it is needed. Concurrent are the broader trends of increasing caregiver mobility and the use of cloud computing— whether in the form of electronic health record (EHR) software as a service (SaaS), an enterprise private cloud, or other health- care cloud offerings.

Today, it seems that everywhere you go it is possible to access a Wi-Fi service with your smartphone, digital tablet, or laptop. Except, perhaps, at your workplace. Yet interest in providing wireless access within offices and other facilities is growing fast among businesses of all types and sizes. This interest reflects business needs and trends, such as...

After identifying your cloud computing goals, consider the type of network you want. Although a public network that uses the Internet to transport all traffic may seem like an attractive choice, it involves significant trade-offs for performance and security. Applications may not perform properly and/or bandwidth may not be available for mission-critical applications. Your network may suffer latency, jitter, and packet loss.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Many industry leaders championed a free market approach to healthcare during the 12th Annual World Health Care Congress last week. Here are a few key reasons why I don’t think this model is “the fix” our industry so desperately needs.

WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE PREMIUM CONTENT

With all the talk about ensuring the security of PHI (protected health information) in the EHR era, 2012 was still a year riddled with health data breaches. As a matter of fact, one of the largest data breaches ever recorded by the HHS occurred last year when a server at the Utah Department of Health containing the PHI of some 780,000 patients was hacked.

iPads have become a popular tool for physicians, but health data security breaches are a major concern. Here’s how MDM (mobile device management) technology can give you all the benefits of mobile technology while mitigating the risks.

Government incentives are motivating physicians practices to purchase EHRs, but it’s clear that EHR use varies widely from practice to practice, as does the value each office gets out of using the technology.

ABOUT WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE

Wireless infrastructure, wireless networks, or WiFi networks are some of the most challenging IT implementations done at hospitals. Wireless networks in hospitals often have to support a large range of devices, from medical equipment to laptops and desktops, to hospital-owned mobile devices, and even devices owned by doctors, nurses, staff, and patients. In addition to supporting a varying range of devices, these networks cannot interfere with the sensitive medical equipment throughout the hospital while still providing maximum coverage throughout the facility.

Common uses of wireless networks in hospitals include clinical communication, guest access, medical device connectivity, location tracking, and inventory management. Guest access can be one of the largest challenges, as the guest network must be secured properly or be separate from the network that operates critical-care devices in order to prevent any accidental or intentional damage or outages.